


Just Another Late Night

by agayhurricane



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Fluff, Gen, M/M, give them a break, two very stressed students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 14:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10492437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agayhurricane/pseuds/agayhurricane
Summary: It's the little things that matter most, never mind time or place; or in this case, the McDonald's takeout.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive some inaccuracies, I love them to pieces. Also I made Judar conveniently younger, I'm not sorry.

The clock on the wall read 10:38, but Aladdin had to blink thrice to read it properly. Was it that late…? A couple more blinks brought him back to his surroundings. The scruffy collar of his school uniform tickled his neck; he had fallen asleep in it. His pants were barely off his waist, and both of his socks were still on, his left shoe still clinging on to him somehow. Lazily, he kicked it off and stretched with a groan, similar to a cat coming out of a particularly long nap. He glanced at the clock again. 10:50.

A crinkle of papers reached his ears, and he realized that his hand was resting on top of quite a big stack of them. Right next to it were books—his textbooks, and several of them—splayed out on the sheets with a highlighter on the middle of the pages. The neon orange ink that jumped out against the text brought several things back to his sleep hazed head.

Papers.

Books.

The time, which already read 11:03.

The little notepad by his books, flipped to a page that had the reminder ‘scientific journal review about the earth’s minerals, paper due tomorrow,’ in capital letters, messily scrawled in his hand. And beside the memo, an empty checkbox.

“ _SHIT!_ ” Aladdin scrambled from his bed, his socks nearly causing him to slip in the process. He grabbed the small digital clock on his desk, staring at it hard, but there was no mistaking it. It read 11:16 now. Only a few more minutes to midnight, and he hadn’t even begun his paper, which was already due _tomorrow_.

Aladdin slammed the clock back on his table, taking a step forward, then backward, his mind in a panic and completely undecided with what to do first. _Professor Ja’far is going to kill me, he doesn’t accept late papers, I was supposed to be working on this, why did I have to fall asleep I am so stupid, what am I going to do—?_

Hands clutching his head, Aladdin forced himself to take a breath, finally deciding on changing out of his uniform before anything else. Still in uniform and the day was nearly over, that was simply ridiculous. Barely without pause, he stripped off his jacket and tie, carefully putting them in the laundry hamper near his bed. His pants went the same way, and soon—but not as soon enough as he would’ve wanted—he was dressed in a comfortably baggy shirt and old shorts. He slipped his feet in a pair of yellow bunny slippers he got from Alibaba as a present last Christmas, and started back towards his desk, determined to get some work done, and _fast_.

With a swipe of his thumb, he unlocked his phone, cringing from the sheer amount of unread messages in his notifications, all coming from his chat with Sphintus and Titus. They went from increasing amounts of emotion ranging from concern to panic, coupled with a flood of alarmed stickers. The last one was timed at 10:12, coming from Titus: ‘ALADDIN WAKE UP ALREADY, LOOK I’M GOING TO SLEEP OKAY, YOU BETTER FINISH THAT PAPER JAFARS GONNA HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PLATTER IF U DON’T.’

As if he needed reminding. Aladdin sighed heavily and locked his phone, tossing it back on his bed. Turning to his laptop, he quickly typed out the title page for his paper. He opened another tab for his research and waited for the site he clicked on to load.

A few minutes into reading the information presented to him made him realize his efforts were futile. The data barely processed in his mind and he hardly formulated the proper flow of his findings and reactions to be put on the paper itself. He screwed his eyes shut and tried again, starting from the top of the article. A moment later, he wondered why the article seemed to get longer and more complicated, before belatedly realizing that he was just reading the same sentence over and over and over.

As if on cue, his stomach also picked the opportune time to add to his problems, emitting a loud, almost angry rumble. Aladdin let out a shaky groan of frustration as he buried his head in his folded arms. This was hopeless. He knew he had to eat to function. His last _decent_ meal was breakfast, nearly an entire day ago. In school he had no time for snacks because he had to work on the plans for the class booth for their fair, and that was disastrous in and of itself.

That was also most likely the reason why he passed out cold upon getting back here in the apartment he shared with… a particular nuisance. Sort of. He did manage to catch up on a bit of badly needed sleep but the consequence of that was him falling behind on his stupid paper. Which happened to be due—? Right, tomorrow.

And now he was hungry.

Great. Just _great_.

With a dejected sigh, he got up, yellow bunny slippers shuffling depressingly on the worn wooden floor. Aladdin shook his hair out of its long braid as he padded out of his room, one hand on his empty belly. A great disappointment greeted him upon reaching the small space they called a kitchen: empty cupboards, save for a bunch of stale biscuits and one lonely pack of cup noodles. Well, he thought as he reached for the cup, better than nothing. He could only hope his roommate remembered to buy groceries but maybe that was hoping too much, knowing him. Chinese takeout at least?

Either way, waiting around won’t get him anywhere. Sure enough, he was already halfway through the noodles but there were still no signs of his roommate arriving. Steam floated in front of his eyes as he blew on his still hot cup. His mind wandered. What could _he_ be doing that kept him out at this hour? Universities don’t stay open the entire day. Or do they?

Even after downing the instant noodles, he still felt hungry. There was no use in complaining, but it was hard to keep that in mind when his stomach kept up a steady protest as he read through the lengthy, complex article for his journal review. It was already 12: 45 and he needed five pages done and preferably a couple hours of sleep…

By 1:00 am, Aladdin’s eyes were already blurry, the words he was reading blending together in the screen and stringing up in front of him to form gibberish. He was only halfway through the second page. With a frustrated cry, he clapped his laptop shut and pulled on his already dishevelled hair. If only he could say he had a lot of time left… but his classes began at seven, and he really, _really_ needed more sleep, he was just so utterly _exhausted_ …

The sound of a key turning the lock of the door pulled him out of his abyss of exhaustion and angst. He got up a little quicker than he would like to admit, sending his swivel chair to the other side of the room. He threw his bedroom door open, gripping the frame and leaning out the hallway. His eyes, gone a little wider than usual from stress and sleep deprivation, were alert as he croaked out: “Judar?”

A dark head of messy long hair peeked out from the corner, its owner’s eyes irritable and lined with dark bags. “Why the fuck are you still awake?”

“Oh, thank god,” Aladdin’s shoulder’s slumped forward in relief. He looked up at his college roommate expectedly, hunting around for the plastic bag full of food that he’d been dreaming about. “Did you bring anything? Please tell me you did, I’m starving.”

Judar rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall, bringing up his left hand. Hanging around one finger was the handle of a plastic bag from McDonalds. “What will you do without me, you runt.”

Aladdin beamed, his mouth already watering. He dashed towards the older one, grabbing the holy plastic bag of salvation. Burgers, fries and a large ice cold drink enough for the both of them. “You _lifesaver_!”

“Praise me later, suck-up.” Judar grumbled, his fingertips rubbing circles on his closed eyelids. “Now look, I haven’t eaten either, so if you don’t plan on—”

“Hwuh?”

Judar snapped his gaze towards Aladdin all of a sudden, disbelieving of the sight awaiting him. “You sneaky fucker, don’t start without me!”

Aladdin smiled sheepishly as he forced an impossibly large chunk of food down his throat before answering. “You were busy having that edgy monologue of yours anyway,” he smiled, a smidgen of sauce smeared on the corner of his mouth.

“At least eat properly,” he grumbled, swiping his thumb quickly against Aladdin’s lip. “And by that, I mean share. Ungrateful shit.”

Aladdin held out the bag in defence as he walked towards the small dining table, “I _am_ sharing!”

Judar licked his thumb off before shooting Aladdin a glare. “Can you just let me fucking sit?”

Aladdin giggled as he plopped down on a chair beside Judar. “You’re so grouchy.”

“Well, maybe I’d be less ‘grouchy’,” Judar said between bites, “If I wasn’t in college and working at the same time to keep my ass alive.”

Aladdin wrinkled his nose. The mention of school reminded him of the unfinished paper he had waiting for him back in his room.

Judar gave him a sidelong glance as he shoved a bunch of fries in his mouth. “What now, Chibi?”

Aladdin turned to face him, his munching going slower. “Uh,” he swallowed. “You’re smart, aren’t you, Judar?”

The older one, who was in the middle of sipping on their drink, snorted and promptly choked. Aladdin pat his back, wincing at each strangled cough. His question wasn’t that bad, was it?

Judar spoke as coughed, which undoubtedly wasn’t advisable, but he made his point clear enough. “Why would the— _star student_ —fucking _ask_ —” He demanded incredulously followed by another bout of coughing, “The local— _dumbass—_ ”

“I’m not _that_ smart,” Aladdin disagreed, still rubbing Judar’s back. “That’ll be Titus. And you aren’t as dumb as you think either.”

“Same—damn thing—” A particularly intense cough had him hitting his knees on the underside of the table, bringing about another string of profanity. _“Fuck_ —”

The younger student winced, “Maybe you should ease up on the cursing, Juju.”

“Don’t start using—those gross nicknames—on me,” Judar wheezed as he caught his breath, his chest heaving. A few minutes and a quick swig of his drink later, Judar turned and faced Aladdin. “Alright, dipshit, what do you want.”

“You wouldn’t be mad?” he asked hopefully.

“Depends what the fuck it is, Aladdin, now speak up!”

Aladdin took a breath.  Desperate times called for desperate measures after all, and Judar was in college wasn’t he? He had to know more than him. “ _Canyoupleasehelpmewritemypaper_.”

Judar blinked. “What.”

“Judar, _please_ , just this once!” Aladdin pleaded, clinging onto his arm, “I _swear_ I won’t bother you again after this, _come oooon_.”

“Aren’t you the smart one?” Judar asked, leaning far from him and pushing his face away.

“Yeah, but you’ve studied longer than I have!” Aladdin insisted. “Please?”

“I came here to live an independent life,” Judar grumbled, “And finish fucking college, not to babysit a whiny sophomore! Who do you think I am?”

Aladdin tugged Judar’s hand away and drew his chair closer to his, tightening his grip on his arm. He looked up at him, his big blue eyes meeting his. “My boyfriend?” He answered plainly.

He _had_ to use that look. “Don’t do this to me, Chibi, you’re not being fair.”

“Who’s being the whiny sophomore now?” Aladdin countered.

“Who’s being the lazy ass by asking me to do the shit he should have done, hmm?”

“ _Just once_!” Aladdin protested. “I helped you come up with an excuse for that late thing you submitted last week because you were out drinking with Hakuryuu!”

“That does _not_ count, I went against my will, it was _Hakuryuu_ that dragged me—”

“You still went with him!”

“More like the guy came wailing to me after he found out that blonde virgin friend of yours was seeing someone else!”

That gave Aladdin a pause. “So Hakuryuu really _does_ like Alibaba?”

Judar squinted at him, “Don’t fucking tell me it wasn’t obvious, Chibi, you’re supposed to be smarter than this.”

“But Alibaba isn’t seeing anyone,” Aladdin said. “That whole thing with Morgiana was just a… misunderstanding.” He chuckled softly as he remembered. “It was actually quite funny.”

“Like I give a fuck,” Judar scowled, shaking his head. “Why you stick around with him, I’ll never understand.”

Aladdin’s smile turned sly, “Why I stick around with _you_ , I’ll never understand.” He retorted smugly.

“Touché.” Judar said drily, cuffing his arm. An idea crept in the back of his mind. He began to slowly extricate himself from Aladdin’s grasp. “Now let’s tell baby Hakuryuu that news, shall we? He’s been moping around for _days_.”

Aladdin began to nod, but then it dawned on him all of a sudden what Judar was planning. His eyes widened, “Oh no, you don’t,” he said, clinging on to him, pulling him back down his seat.

“Goddammit, Aladdin, you don’t know when to take no for an answer do you?” Judar said, exasperated.

“I do, but that’s beside the point, _Judaaar_ ,” Aladdin buried his face on his chest, his voice muffled. “Come on, _please_?”

“Let me fucking eat first!” Judar complained.

“Is that a yes?”

“No!”

“Aren’t you done yet, though?” Aladdin looked up to peer at the table.

“No, because I’m not as greedy as you are!”

Aladdin pouted before snagging his own half eaten burger, “Fine, have it your way,” A small smile tugged at his lips.  “But I will be waiting for you!”

“Like _hell_ I would help you, asshole!” Judar yelled after him, flinging a French fry at his direction.

Aladdin caught it in his mouth and stuck out his tongue before disappearing around the corner and back to his room.

Judar leaned back in his seat with a huff. Stupid kid, who did he think he was? Just because they were together does not mean he could use him as a personal tutor for school…

_I’ll show him_ , he thought, ripping out a huge chunk of his burger, _I’m not some fucking softie, I won’t be helping his sorry ass, he’ll see…_

His temper nearly caused him to choke on his food again, but this time, Aladdin didn’t come help, content with snickering in his room as he listened to Judar’s heated cursing.

***

Aladdin was halfway through his paper—and probably nearer to the end of his wits—when he heard his bedroom door creak open an inch.

He stole a glance at the clock on his desk; it read 3:07 am. Aladdin swivelled his chair around in time to catch Judar—who just came from the shower by the looks of the water droplets sliding down his neck— poised mid step to enter his room. He grinned at him tiredly, “I knew you’d come help.”

Judar rolled his eyes to better ignore the annoying light flutter in his chest when Aladdin gave him that smile. “Don’t get cocky with me, brat,” he said, bringing up a towel to better dry his newly washed hair.  “I didn’t come here to watch you gloat.”

“Whatever… floats your, uh, gloat?” Aladdin stifled a yawn before standing up to move to his bed. “Whatever…” He plopped down with a sigh, snuggling into the soft pillows and tugging a blanket to his chin.

Judar turned his face away before his staring became too obvious.

“Don’t pass out on me,” he said, walking over and grabbing Aladdin’s laptop from his desk. “I’m not gonna help you if you do.”

“You’re not gonna use that on the bed are you?” Aladdin asked blearily, peeking out from the covers, “That isn’t good.”

“Don’t lecture me on propriety,” Judar said, sitting down heavily on the bed beside him and placing the computer on his legs. “It’s called a laptop for a reason. Now move over, I’m gonna fall on my ass.”

“Mmkay,” Aladdin followed, his movements already sluggish. He pulled himself up by his elbows as Judar moved in the bed, lean arms slipping around his waist and his head resting on his side, tilted slightly to watch him type.

Aladdin’s hair tickled the strip of skin that wasn’t covered properly by his shirt, but Judar held his tongue, in denial of how nervous he was because of the knowledge that if he so much as fidgeted, Aladdin would move away. _That’ll be a real damn shame_ , he thought. From this angle, he could see perfectly the way Aladdin’s long lashes shadowed his blue eyes, his sleepy face accentuated in the soft light of the screen. It didn’t slip his notice the way his lips were curved into a small determined pout, trying so hard not to fall asleep.

Judar cleared his throat. “What am I supposed to do here anyway?”

“I’m halfway done so…finish the other… fraction of it…” Aladdin slurred, a hand coming up to rub at his nose. “I think…”

“You’re not even thinking,” Judar mumbled as his pulse raced in his ears. “Just—” he squinted at the chunks of text Aladdin typed down, “—opinions on mineral shit, right?”

“Mm, yeah,” he yawned again, hugging him tighter.

“For fuck’s sake, this is simple,” Judar knit his eyebrows in annoyance, continuing where Aladdin left off after a quick scan on the article he was supposed to be analysing. “How they teach you these days, you’re practically spoon-fed. Weak ass bastards.”

“See, you’re smart too,” Aladdin slid his gaze to him. “You’re not wearing your reading glasses though. That’s gonna make you look—smarterer.” Another yawn.

“Jeez, mother, I get it, you can shut up now,” the elder student unhooked his purple glasses—the colour picked by Aladdin himself two years ago— from the neckline of his shirt and slid it up the bridge of his nose. Judar looked down and realized Aladdin was still staring at him, his expression unfocused and dreamy.

“Thanks for helping me out, Juju,” he said sincerely.

Judar could only hope his face wasn’t red. “Cut the sappy shit, Chibi, honestly.” He muttered, fingers moving faster over the keys. He didn’t trust himself to look at him, not yet.

Aladdin laughed, nestling down closer to him, his eyes already falling shut, “I love you, Judar.” He slipped into slumber almost instantly after that, his arms going slack.

Judar’s eyes hurt from staring at the screen for too long. When he was sure that Aladdin indeed was asleep, he exhaled quietly, finally mustering the courage to look at him.  “You’ll be the death of me, you know,” Judar breathed out, his stony expression melting away as he studied him. His hand raised hesitantly, before settling at the side of Aladdin’s face, stroking his cheek. He was the only the capable of dredging up this aspect of him and that in itself annoyed and terrified him to no end but what can he do?

What indeed when—

“I love you too, dipshit.”

***

Time trickled by slowly. Judar’s hand occasionally drifted down Aladdin’s hair, twirling soft loose strands in his fingers as he worked. By 4:18 am he was finished, the document already saved, laptop turned off. It took a while to untangle himself from Aladdin’s limbs, but he managed.

He set the laptop back down the desk, stretching his arms as he started back to the bed, yawning hugely. After turning the night-light on—Aladdin hated the dark— he crawled to Aladdin’s side, holding him like a pillow. His nose nuzzled onto the top of his head, sleep also beginning to overtake him. Suddenly he heard him mumble, turning over in his arms. A bleary eye cracked open, Aladdin’s eyebrow raised drowsily in question. “Wha—?”

“Go back to sleep, Chibi,” Judar said, almost reprovingly, “Your fucking homework’s done, thank me—”

Aladdin’s kiss interrupted him. “Thank you.”

It took him a few seconds to remember how to _breathe_. “Dammit, Chibi, just—fucking—”

“Your face is red,” Aladdin teased.

“ _Go back to sleep!_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for dropping by! Leave a comment if you liked it!! Concrit is very much welcome to me.


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